A few years ago, I ranked the No. 1 overall picks of the 1990s (check it out here) Now I plan on doing the same with the 00s ... even though much of it deserves an incomplete.
#10-Kwame Brown, Wizards: Brown is the poster boy for the NBA's age limit. Brown was a physical specimen but he just didn't seem to have the desire. It didn't help that boss-turned-teammate Michael Jordan broke him down. His biggest contribution to winning was being traded for Pau Gasol.
#9-Andrew Bogut, Bucks: I do think this is a bit low for Bogut since he is one of the NBA's better rebounders. Still, he hasn't really done anything that has turned Milwaukee into a winner. What also hurts him is that Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Andrew Bynum and Danny Granger were picked after him. He may be the least remembered top pick this decade.
#8-Andrea Bargnani, Raptors: If he isn't, Bargnani is. Aside from Brandon Roy and Rajon Rondo, this wasn't a very good draft. Bargnani's point production is getting better but he doesn't rebound like a guy his size should.
#7-Blake Griffin, Clippers: This is assuming he is the Clips' pick. It's hard to rate him since he hasn't played a game yet ... but I slotted him as if he was better than Bargnani, Bogut and Kwame but won't quite be the guy that Oden or K-Mart was/can be. Still, I think Griffin can come in next year and help on the boards a bit as he develops his offensive skills.
#6-Greg Oden, Blazers: Oden hasn't really done anything yet but he did miss his rookie season with microfracture surgery. He gets a huge incomplete so far. But I think he will be a very good pro once he gets fully healthy. He already can rebound and block shots. His offense will come at some point. At worst, he's the next Dikembe Mutombo and that is pretty darn good.
#5-Kenyon Martin, Nets: Speaking of microfracture. K-Mart has had it twice and it took a lot of his leaping ability that made him so tough to deal with during his Nets years.
#4-Derrick Rose, Bulls: Yeah, he's played just one season but methinks Rose will be a star in this league. Heck, he may already be.
#3-Dwight Howard, Magic: Howard is unbelievable on the defensive end of the floor. He is also tough to deal with on offense ... from 5 feet on in. He was exposed a bit in the Finals but he has plenty of time to get that worked out. If he figures out some post moves and any kind of shot outside the paint, he will move up to No. 2 on this list.
#2-Yao Ming, Rockets: Yao is the second best scorer of the bunch and has made, arguably, the biggest global impact on the NBA. He has helped get the NBA into China's lucrative market. He also has made Houston into a team to be reckoned with. If only he could stay healthy.
#1-LeBron James, Cavaliers: Pretty simple.
The interesting thing about all these No. 1 picks is that many of them are so raw still. In the 1990s, Derrick Coleman, Larry Johnson, Shaq, Webber, Duncan, Iverson and Glen Robinson all came into the league and fared very well pretty quickly. That isn't really happening from the 2000 kids.
There is only 10 years of college experience from the No. 1 picks last decade with only Kenyon Martin playing for more than two years. You had five guys who didn't even play college ball (oddly, three of them top my list).
#10-Kwame Brown, Wizards: Brown is the poster boy for the NBA's age limit. Brown was a physical specimen but he just didn't seem to have the desire. It didn't help that boss-turned-teammate Michael Jordan broke him down. His biggest contribution to winning was being traded for Pau Gasol.
#9-Andrew Bogut, Bucks: I do think this is a bit low for Bogut since he is one of the NBA's better rebounders. Still, he hasn't really done anything that has turned Milwaukee into a winner. What also hurts him is that Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Andrew Bynum and Danny Granger were picked after him. He may be the least remembered top pick this decade.
#8-Andrea Bargnani, Raptors: If he isn't, Bargnani is. Aside from Brandon Roy and Rajon Rondo, this wasn't a very good draft. Bargnani's point production is getting better but he doesn't rebound like a guy his size should.
#7-Blake Griffin, Clippers: This is assuming he is the Clips' pick. It's hard to rate him since he hasn't played a game yet ... but I slotted him as if he was better than Bargnani, Bogut and Kwame but won't quite be the guy that Oden or K-Mart was/can be. Still, I think Griffin can come in next year and help on the boards a bit as he develops his offensive skills.
#6-Greg Oden, Blazers: Oden hasn't really done anything yet but he did miss his rookie season with microfracture surgery. He gets a huge incomplete so far. But I think he will be a very good pro once he gets fully healthy. He already can rebound and block shots. His offense will come at some point. At worst, he's the next Dikembe Mutombo and that is pretty darn good.
#5-Kenyon Martin, Nets: Speaking of microfracture. K-Mart has had it twice and it took a lot of his leaping ability that made him so tough to deal with during his Nets years.
#4-Derrick Rose, Bulls: Yeah, he's played just one season but methinks Rose will be a star in this league. Heck, he may already be.
#3-Dwight Howard, Magic: Howard is unbelievable on the defensive end of the floor. He is also tough to deal with on offense ... from 5 feet on in. He was exposed a bit in the Finals but he has plenty of time to get that worked out. If he figures out some post moves and any kind of shot outside the paint, he will move up to No. 2 on this list.
#2-Yao Ming, Rockets: Yao is the second best scorer of the bunch and has made, arguably, the biggest global impact on the NBA. He has helped get the NBA into China's lucrative market. He also has made Houston into a team to be reckoned with. If only he could stay healthy.
#1-LeBron James, Cavaliers: Pretty simple.
The interesting thing about all these No. 1 picks is that many of them are so raw still. In the 1990s, Derrick Coleman, Larry Johnson, Shaq, Webber, Duncan, Iverson and Glen Robinson all came into the league and fared very well pretty quickly. That isn't really happening from the 2000 kids.
There is only 10 years of college experience from the No. 1 picks last decade with only Kenyon Martin playing for more than two years. You had five guys who didn't even play college ball (oddly, three of them top my list).
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